“Bunglers and Haters of Women” – Delegitimization Strategies of Political Opponents in Selected Video Ads of Poland’s Civic Platform. A Multimodal Analysis

Abstract

This study investigates the delegitimization strategies employed by Civic Platform, Poland’s largest liberal party, in its portrayal of political opponents during the 2023 parliamentary campaign. By analyzing nine election ads, the paper explores how the formation constructs its political opponents, employing specific semiotic and multimodal strategies to delegitimize the then ruling Law and Justice. The study integrates Bar-Tal’s model of delegitimization to assess the party’s strategic messaging and examines the role of disparaging humor in shaping political legitimacy. The findings reveal that Civic Platform’s campaign frames Law and Justice politicians as incompetent caricatures or lawbreakers harmful to Polish citizens. In particular, Jarosław Kaczyński, the party’s leader, is depicted as inherently malevolent and driven by personal vendettas. The analysis highlights a diverse range of semiotic choices used to construct political adversaries and uncovers striking parallels between Polish liberal discourse and far-right rhetoric, particularly in the use of racial stereotypes against immigrants and in reliance on emotional arguments. These insights emphasize the need for a broader approach to politically-oriented discourse analysis that accounts for ideological overlaps and the strategic use of humor in political communication.